Ireland’s green hit export

Let’s start by clearing up a few stories generally accepted as gospel: Ireland’s patron saint, who is said to have died in Armagh on March 17 in the year 462, was originally born in Wales and came to Ireland as a slave. Once there, the Catholic convert soon had the whole of the island talking about him. Over the years, in fact, he made a real career out of his proselytizing and a particular impression on the local Celtic heathens on the Emerald Isle, whom he converted to Christianity. However, the story that he saved Ireland from poisonous stakes can safely be filed under “legend” – because, scientifically speaking, there have never been any wild snakes on the island. He also enjoyed making skilled use of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity. Once the Celts had accepted that each of the three leaves had a deeper meaning, his lessons began to hit home. Ultimately, the bishop – and later saint – entered the history books as a great evangelist, benefactor, and teacher.

It is therefore hardly surprising that St. Patrick’s Day was originally a strictly religious feast day in Ireland, meaning that all the pubs had to stay closed on March 17. Thanks to efforts from politicians, however, it was transformed into a national holiday in the early 1970s, since when celebrating has most definitely been on the agenda – ideally copiously and in large numbers.

St. Patrick’s Day parades around the globe

And lively celebrations are very much the order of the day – not just in Ireland, but everywhere with a vibrant Irish community. Take New York, for instance. Its St. Patrick’s Day parade predates the United States Declaration of Independence and was first held in 1763. Nearly two million people flock to watch the boisterous ensemble as it makes its way along Fifth Avenue. Chicago, meanwhile, is well known for dyeing the Chicago River green and starts its celebrations as early as 9:00 a.m. In Boston, generally seen as an “Irish” city, marching bands from all states come together to get everyone tapping their toes. This festival from the Emerald Isle did not get this popular in the U.S. simply by accident: Some 33 million people in the country claim to have Irish ancestry. And then there are the estimated 90 million Americans who are only all too happy to join in the festivities year in, year out.

Global celebrations help smash revenue records

Nowadays, “St. Paddy’s” is celebrated all over the world – and not just in the appropriately themed pubs. Buenos Aires hosts what is reputed to be the wildest party in South America on March 17, while London’s milelong St. Patrick’s Day Parade brings the historic center of the megacity to a standstill every year. The highlight, however, has to be Dublin – where else? – with its several days of festivities, during which anything and everything that you can eat, drink, spray on, or wear is turned green for the occasion.

As well as moving millions of people, therefore, St. Patrick’s Day also gets millions of tons of goods on the move, all in the space of just under a week. In mid-March, for instance, the Guinness brewery rakes in nearly twice as much revenue as on a typical day. Across the world, more than 13 million pints of the dark stuff are downed in total on March 17. That equates to nearly 33 gallons a second and is many times more than the amount of this “national treasure” that is consumed on all the other days of the year put together.

As well as the much-in-demand stout from Dublin, St. Patrick’s Day decorations are also a hit all over the world. It’s the same with green T-shirts, hats and other trendy accessories – if it’s green, it gets worn. And these goods, too, first need to be manufactured by the millions and then shipped halfway round the world in containers. The actual volumes involved cannot even be reliably estimated. But one thing is certain: This “holiday” now attracts the kind of marketing machine that is otherwise only seen at Halloween and on Valentine’s Day.

Always on the “right” side

Ireland has pulled off an economic miracle over the past few decades, transforming itself from an economy beset by structural weaknesses and oriented mainly toward the British market into an international leader in exports. The country even managed to make up the ground it lost in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, generating a trade surplus in goods worth 14.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. This was nearly twice as much as Germany (7.5 percent of GDP). Exports played a key role in Ireland’s real GDP growing faster than in any other European Union (E.U.) member state between 1997 and 2017 (+188 percent).

Modern, efficient transport links are thus essential for the country. The Irish government launched an ambitious investment program a few years ago. By 2027, nearly €5 billion will have been invested in airports and seaports alone – Ireland has six international and numerous regional airports. The first few projects will see Dublin and Shannon (Limerick) airports expanded and dock facilities modernized at the ports in Dublin and Cork. This is bound to push the country up a few places in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index from the very respectable 29th position it currently occupies.

Besides airports and seaports, the country is also planning upgrades to its highway network as well as its national trunk roads and local transport routes. Virtually all its freight is currently transported by road, and the highway connection with Northern Ireland is a vital link. Goods can be hauled by road from the European mainland via ferries from France, England, or Wales – this is the most common way imports are transported. By contrast, inland waterway and rail transport is only of negligible importance. Making up a mere 1.1 per cent overall, it is the least-used transport sector in the whole of the E.U. Despite the country boasting nearly 1,500 miles of railway lines, which run into the capital roughly in a star shape and for the most part are not electrified, freight transport by rail tends to be rather neglected.

The “Celtic Interconnector” project, however, is of international significance and a different story entirely: This underwater cable, which will export electricity to France, is costing €1 billion to build. The project has been accelerated in light of the Brexit vote, and funding has been approved by the European Investment Bank. Starting in 2026, the 350-mile-long cable – 310 miles of which will be under water – will have a planned capacity of 700 MW, enough to supply 450,000 homes with electricity. Laying the cable is essential if Ireland is to harness the potential it harbors in offshore wind energy for the benefit of its exports.

Be afraid of nothing

However much promise the Irish economy may hold, the run-up to this year’s St. Patrick’s Day has been anything but business as usual. Large gatherings of people locked in a merry embrace would seem particularly ill-advised at present on health grounds. In fact, a lot of parades, even the one in Dublin, have been called off due to the latest developments surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, it will not be possible to keep a lid, or even a green hat, on the good mood entirely. St. Patrick’s Day fans may well take their lead from the words of another Irishman, Oscar Wilde: Be afraid of nothing.

Oh, incidentally: If you’re wondering why green is everywhere, there’s an easy explanation. It’s the color of the country’s national emblem, the shamrock, as well as the start of spring and a symbol for hope.